Damaged Copies of Quran to Be Buried at Cemetery in Birmingham
Devout Muslims are expected to carefully bury old, worn out and damaged copies on pieces of land where people do not normally walk.
But many mosques and homes in inner-city Birmingham lack the space or grounds to do so.
Now, following a campaign by city councillor Neil Eustace and the Stechford Mosque, the city council has agreed to set aside a patch of ground at Handsworth Cemetery.
Coun Eustace (Stechford and Yardley North) said: "I am delighted to have helped organize this facility for Muslims in Birmingham. Respect for each other's religion is important.
"The respectful disposal of damaged or worn out Quran is very important to devout Muslims.”
Imam for Stechford Mosque, Prof Tahir Mahmood Kiani, said the holy book must always be treated with respect.
"When a copy of the Holy Quran has become very old and splitting at the seams and the pages have become worn and torn, it is better to not use such a copy lest it falls apart and disintegrates while someone is holding it,” he said.
"Such copies need to disposed of.
"However, due to the unique revered status the Holy Quran holds, disposing of it in a respectful manner is paramount.”
He said that a number of methods could be used, including placing the book in a river so the ink was washed away.
But the preferred way was to wrap it in a cloth and bury it.
Mosque chairman Mohammed Yasin added: "The Muslim community in Birmingham is facing difficulty in finding a suitable area to safely dispose the torn copies of the holy book.
Source: The Birmingham Mail
